1. Field of the Invention
The present invention discloses a novel method for the substantial elimination of the major cause of biofouling in water circulating systems and, in particular, those systems circulating water for cooling purposes, such as, for example, water cooling towers, air conditioning systems, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Biological fouling of circulating cooling water systems is a common problem resulting from excessive growth and development of different types of lower plant life (e.g., algae, bacteria and fungi.) Circulating cooling water systems are excellent places for the incubation and growth of biological organisms because such systems contain nutrients (typically organic contamination) from air drawn into the system and from organic materials naturally occurring in the water. In addition, the water temperature in cooling towers is warm enough to provide an ideal incubation environment. Biological growth can foul pipelines, increase water circulating costs, cause and/or accelerate corrosion of metal, attack wood and substantially reduce heat transfer thereby contributing to decreased efficiency of the cooling tower system.
Common forms of microorganisms found in a cooling tower system include algae, slime-forming fungi and bacteria, wood destroying organisms, and sulfate reducing organisms along with many other forms of bacteria which may have little or no effect on cooling tower efficiency.
The present invention discloses a novel biological control agent, or biocide, which displays unexpected properties when used in a circulating water cooling system. However, in order to appreciate the effectiveness of the present invention, it is first appropriate to review the criteria which are generally applied in measuring biocide effectiveness.
Those skilled in the water treatment art have typically the following four factors in measuring biocide effectiveness in cooling water systems:
(a) appearance;
(b) microorganism count;
(c) microscopic analyses; and
(d) heat transfer.
Each of these methods will be briefly discussed.